Reviews by datalager:

More User Reviews:

Appearance  This one is a dark, murky brown in color with a cascading head that I controlled at the pour.

Smell  Oh, man, this is serious. The alcohol and yeast are rank! The malts are all over the place and lack that typical overly sweet sugariness that you find in a lot of Quadrupel beers. If Westy & St. Bernie are slow-stripping professional escorts leading the drinker on a two-hour trip of sensuality and ecstasy, this is the bobblehead ho in the corner of a smoky club wearing the Got Penis? T-shirt and condom necklace with the cum hither smile and a Motel 8 room key attached to the zipper of her hip-hugging Daisy Dukes.

Taste  The only difference between drinking this beer and smelling it is that when you drink it you get drunk.

Mouthfeel  This is somewhere in between medium and full-bodied with lasting carbonation, unapologetic bitterness that lacks any kind of sugary balance, and an alcohol punch thats just rude and obnoxious. My kind of beer!

Drunkability  I checked, and this is technically the highest ABV of any Quad that Ive reviewed to date. The alcohol hides like an elephant behind a bamboo tree, but I personally enjoy the rough road less trodden and sucked this down like Courtney Love at a straw-testing center. (1,284 characters)

2003 vintage. This one pours a very nice deep opaque amber with really no head to speak of. 12.2% abv will do that I suppose. The first smell has some fruity malt tones...I seem to smell bananas, grapes, some orange peels. A nice spicy scent as well..can't really place it. The smell is very nice and complex...alcohol is well hidden...it's there but not at all overwhelming.

The first sip is wonderful...sweet caramel malt mingles with the fruit and spice tones. Alcohol is well hidden and the taste is very smooth. This is my first quadrupel, so I am not very familiar with the style, but this brew is making me quite happy. Just had a nice meal and this is the perfect way to finish it off...my dessert if you will. As the brew warms up a bit the complex flavor attacks my palate and begs me to take another sip. A lovely doughy banana bread flavor lingers in my mouth between sips. The mouthfeel is very nice...not too much carbonation and a well rounded body. A pleasure to drink. As far as drinkability...I could definetly have a few of these. I might not be able to walk afterwards...but it's worth it for such a tasty brew that seems to become more intriguing with each sip. I'm glad I have another one to cellar for awhile as this seems to get better with age. I'll update this when I try it again.

My thanks go out to blitheringidiot for the trade and the chance to try this tasty beer. (1,402 characters)

A 22oz bottle from Tully's poured into a tulip glass. Very pretty beer. Amber color with a small head that produced some lacing. It had a fruity, banana aroma. Taste a little more complex. Banana, but a fair amount of tartness came through. A little yeast also. Fairly assertive. I thought this was quite drinkable, even at the ABV of 12%. However, I made the mistake of trying this first, followed by Blasphemy. Don't do that. (427 characters)

A - Pours a hazy amber/gold. A one-finger head of loose, light tan bubbles dissolves quickly, leaving a clump of bubbles along one side and a star-burst of very fine sheen spreading out from the center. Held to a full-spectrum light, the beer is a rich, dark, copper orange/red and rather hazy, almost cloudy. Light, thin legs on the sides once it warms.

S - Even on the pour, the nose wafted out of the glass and filled the area. It's pleasantly complex and enjoyable on its own. Cherry/Apple Jolly Ranchers, Juicy Fruit gum, light plums, ripe bananas, a touch of light brown sugar, soft caramels, and moderately toasted malts. A bit of heat in the nose hints at the ABV. As it warms, the nose folds together and gets softer.

T - Similar to the nose, but darker across the board. Reminiscent of golden rum. Ripe tree fruits, light molasses, noticeably toasted malts and caramelized sugars. ABV is well-integrated into the taste profile, but it's not enough to hide it, so it dominates at the beginning before relenting and letting the flavors through. As it warms, a bit of spice in the finish appears.

M - A bit fizzy to start. Moderate body with solid, mouth-filling structure. Well-integrated components. A nip of a burn on the swallow gives the high ABV away. Finish is semi-sweet with just a touch of the sugars remaining along the tongue, initially fading quickly, but then lingering just on the edge of disappearing. It also has a bit of a rough edge to it, although warming takes that off.

O - Some interesting flavors in this Quad, but the taste profile was too dark for my personal preference, as if some of the sugars were clearly burnt. The nose was the best part of the glass. The individual aspects of the taste profile also seemed out-of-synch with each other, like slightly mismatched colors in a palette. It's worth a taste, especially if you're a fan of Quads, but not one I'll be looking for in the future. (1,971 characters)

12 oz bottle poured into a goblet a hazy, dark orange. No head and minimal ring lacing. Aroma is promising, with plums, apricots, some yeasty mustiness, and alcohol. Mouthfeel--WHOA! Hard hitting alcohol kicks all other sensations to the side. Initial taste resembles a port or sherry. Dark fruits and a hint of molasses try to emerge at room temperature, but there's just not enough balance here to let them into the dance. Hops seem lost at sea.
I spent over an hour with this one trying to find some qualities I find attractive, other than its fine nose. I suppose it is a fine winter warmer, with the high abv, but the port wine aftertaste doesn't endear me very much. (675 characters)

12 ounce bottle, which I put in the cool, dark closet for about a year.Strong alcohol in nose, also berries, candi sugar.
Tan head which nice fine lacing. Sweetness upfront, alcohol, warming, Crispness, apples and more candi sugar. Malt/hop balance in place, a pleasure to taste --complexity and multiple flavors. Much better after a year in the closet, might benefit from another year of mellowing.

If my above notes are correct, then the bottle I sampled today (9-10-05) has been lovingly cellered for over 2 1/2 years! It has continued to mellow and get more soft and complex. It is now soft, smooth , mellow, lots of butter and port notes. Rum raisins and loads of other flavorful, sweet stuff. This beer has gone from the brash/harsh/alcohol burn stuff I recall it being when young to a soft and complex, world class after dinner sipper. Oh what 2 1/2 years in the closet/basement will do. (898 characters)

A fellow beer enthusiast gave me a bottle of this that had been aging in his cellar for a few years--so what I report here might be slightly different from what you get in a bottle straight from the store.

On the nose, this ale smells like what I'd expect from a well-aged bottle of port: heavy, thick, dark fruit (especially prune) scents dominate, with hints of natural spiciness.

On the tongue, these thick, dark fruits explode, literally filling your mouth and nasal cavity, almost making your eyes water with joy. The similarities between this ale and a port continue, the sugary prune/raisin, almost cognac-like flavors dominating, reminding me of a mixture of melted brown sugar, butter, and pure vanilla. But these are accompanied by distinctly beer flavors, especially toffees and caramels, a hint of chocolate malt, and some light hops that linger ever-so-slightly on the tongue, bringing a nice balance to what could otherwise be an overwhelmingly sugary-sweet brew.

If this beer could be faulted for anything, it's that it might be too potent and sugary. I can see how the massiveness of this ale could drive some away; this is just about the farthest thing from a Budweiser you could get, and still be drinking a beer. I, however, think it's magnificent. Five stars. (1,284 characters)

pours a bronze amber color with ruby red highlights, small head off a vigorous pour. head faded after about a minute or so to a ring. just a touch of lacing. a tiny bit of sediment, but nothing like you would expect to see from a quad. looks similar to an amber ale.

in the aroma there are strong notes of flouride, bubblegum and alcohol. a little bit of spice and maybe some sweet malts. mostly yeast in the aroma.

the sweet malts, maybe even some candy, and the strong alcoholic flouride flavors come in the most. also has hints of some spice, clove, cherry, and bubblegum. about average for an american take on a quad. ive had much better american versions however, this actually ranks pretty low in that category.

not as heavy as you would expect for a 11.8%. almost a watery like mouthfeel. slightly acidic, almost sour. about medium to slightly heavy body. slight carbonation. slightly astringent as well, but i had no problem finishing the bottle, but i wouldnt want another. i wouldnt seek it out again either. (1,021 characters)